(Persia Digest) – Iran’s Deputy of Cultural Heritage has responded to protests made against the great Iranian scientist, Farabi, being claimed as Turkish by neighboring countries, saying: “The inscription file has been submitted to Unesco jointly by Iran and Kazakhstan.”

Mohammad-Hassan Talebian said that this is common practice for the inscription of famous personalities shared by countries, adding: “For example, Abusa'id Abolkhayr has been registered by Iran; but he was born in Turkmenistan and so this country also joined Iran in its inscription. Farabi was also born in the city of Farab in Kazakhstan and died in Damascus, Syria. Therefore, famous personalities cannot be claimed by one country.

Persia Digest (PD) reports that the Farabi Museum House was inaugurated in Istanbul on August 5 on the occasion of the 150th birthday of the great Iranian philosopher and scientist who is known as the “Second teacher” after Aristotle; he was commemorated as a Turkish-Kazakh cultural treasure. Turkey’s claim that Farabi was Turkish prompted protests in Iran.

But Talebian stated that Unesco fully monitors the status of Iran's famous personalities, reiterating: “There is no veracity in such a claim.”

Talebian added: “Nevertheless, the Cultural Heritage Department has requested an urgent meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Unesco National Committees for a thorough examination of famous personalities of Iran.